The Top 5 Habits That Are Making You Fat

Posted by Lori Shemek; March 9, 2014

Every day we all make decisions about what to eat. And these choices, can be made with every effort to prevent weight gain or other choices we make without even realizing the potential that they can wield in wreaking havoc with our weight and our health

Below are the top 5 habits that are making you fat:

You look for the words “Low-Fat” on the label or product

You remember the low-fat food craze 30 some years ago? It has not left. The majority of people I see focus solely on the fat grams and/or the calories. Of course the amount of food you take in, if in excess, will lead to weight gain. But if you are hoping that low-fat will make you leaner, it won’t. Why? Because most low-fat products have highly inflammatory fillers such as sugar and white flour that are metabolized quickly, creating low-level inflammation – causing a spike and drop in blood sugar and the resulting rebound hunger or cravings. Low-level inflammation creates FatFlammation – the core cause of weight gain.

You are eating right out of the package

If you park in front of the TV and, for example, you have a bag of healthy (or not so healthy) chips with you – stop doing that. Why? When you are distracted, your potential to not realize how much of those chips you are eating is extremely high. How many times have you had that bag in hand or any other food, and realized that it was half gone, almost gone or…gone? The next time you want a snack while watching TV, dole out your moderate portion size and take that with you – not the bag.

You love artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners found in products such as diet sodas can really pack on the pounds..seems counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Research now shows that the artificial sweeteners set the brain up to expect sweet – no matter where the sweetness comes from, either artificially or natural. We are pre-wired to love sweet things and artificial sweeteners are 300 times sweeter than sugar and when we eat them, the sweetness acts upon the reward area of our brain. This triggers a vicious cycle of needing more and more artificial sweetener and/or sugar. One study showed that drinking just one or two diet sodas a day increased the chance of becoming overweight or obese by 33%. We also know that artificial sweeteners, in particular, diet sodas, are addictive. Slowly wean yourself off of them and you will retrain your taste buds to really love the natural sweetness in healthy foods.

You skip meals

Many people still equate caloric intake with weight gain. The myth buster here is that it is the types of foods that you are eating and not necessarily the caloric intake that is creating weight gain.. Yes, you can eat an excessive amount of food and gain fat, but that is not the problem here. Skipping meals to reduce caloric intake is an action to take if you want to gain weight. The reason is that your metabolism slows down to preserve vital energy simply to keep you alive. This puts your body in fat-storage mode. Studies show that those who skip breakfast? Fare the worst because they have gone all night and far into the day without eating. This creates blood sugar swings, hunger and cravings.

You are not drinking enough water

Most people are walking around mildly dehydrated suffering symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, joint pain, hunger, cravings and more , simply because they have not had enough water to drink. Our body is mostly water and every single process in the human body requires water. When we short our cells of hydration, we feel it. Have you ever stood in front of the refrigerator with the door open and wondered what you wanted to eat but couldn’t make your mind up? You were hungry for something, just not quite sure what it is? This is a sign you may be mildly dehydrated. The reason this happens is because the brain confuses thirst for hunger. The cure? Drink a glass of water and wait 5 minutes..watch the ‘hunger’ or craving disappear. At a minimum, drink half your body weight in ounces each day. If you weigh 120 lbs., drink 60 ounces of water daily.

By committing and taking action on the above tips to your daily routine, you will begin to see your weight drop, energy increase and optimal health will be yours.